Will roaming chickens find and eat discarded staples in the grass?

[BlueRidgeJackie]

The guy who built our coop fastened the chicken wire to the frame with staples. Some bent and fell off, some got lost into the grass. Now after 6 months many are falling out. Question: will the chickens peck these staples in the ground-- or even swallow them? Do we have a serious problem here?

 

[3KillerBs]

Can you go through there with a strong magnet on a stick?

Are you talking about the small staples from a hand-operated staplegun or heavy fence staples?

 

[BlueRidgeJackie]

I'm afraid the grass is too thick to recover the staples. I thought about a strong magnet but judged that as not possible. The staples were from a hand operated staple gun, the next grade up from a desk stapler. My plan is to use the heavy U-shaped wire nails I now have to properly reinforce the chicken wire. It's on the run, actually-- didn't make that clear.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Pick up one of these.

It's a big long magnet on wheels with an extendable handle and works great on and through pretty much anything. When we bought our farm last year there was almost 15 tons of metal piled all over with nails, staples, screws EVERYWHERE. We have used this through thick grass, over rocks and even in the fields. It even picks up the little broken off nails, screws and teeny tiny staples. Thick grass doesn't matter with the force from the magnetic field a good magnet puts off. Those staples will rip through the grass when a magnet is run over them before they get stuck.

https://www.amazon.com/GRIP-53417-M...ocphy=9018394&hvtargid=pla-523645399110&psc=1

 

[BlueRidgeJackie]

Well that magnet sounds great, and the price is right!. I'll mow the grass down short and run the magnet. I have a bad feeling that the staples will cause severe intestinal problems in my birds. Thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm afraid the grass is too thick to recover the staples. I thought about a strong magnet but judged that as not possible. The staples were from a hand operated staple gun, the next grade up from a desk stapler. My plan is to use the heavy U-shaped wire nails I now have to properly reinforce the chicken wire. It's on the run, actually-- didn't make that clear.

Yes those smaller staples are a possible hazard since they're small enough to swallow easily.

They're also too small to resist a raccoon's attempt to pull the wire off so the sooner you reinforce the better.

 

[BlueRidgeJackie]

Thanks 3KillerBs. Yep, where the wood has weathered over the months quite a few of the "Heavy Duty" staples come out easily with a just a mild tug on the chicken wire. I've been out securing things with U nails. And the big magnet arrives Wednesday.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks 3KillerBs. Yep, where the wood has weathered over the months quite a few of the "Heavy Duty" staples come out easily with a just a mild tug on the chicken wire. I've been out securing things with U nails. And the big magnet arrives Wednesday.

BTW, chicken wire isn't predator proof no matter how well secured. Dogs and raccoons can break right through it.

If you're redoing things anyway you might want to replace it with 1/2" hardware cloth -- or just layer the hardware cloth over top of the chicken wire.

 

[BlueRidgeJackie]

Whoa-- break through chicken wire anchored with U nails? Maybe our neighbor's mastiff LOL. But there are two dogs on our mountainside that have been seen killing chickens. The birds will only stay in the run in daytime.

I know raccoons can reach through conventional chicken wire and grab a chicken. And weasels can go through chicken wire easily (I weasel-proofed a window on the coop itself with 1/4" hardware-cloth). It only had the large weave chicken wire over it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Whoa-- break through chicken wire anchored with U nails? Maybe our neighbor's mastiff LOL. But there are two dogs on our mountainside that have been seen killing chickens. The birds will only stay in the run in daytime.

I know raccoons can reach through conventional chicken wire and grab a chicken. And weasels can go through chicken wire easily (I weasel-proofed a window on the coop itself with 1/4" hardware-cloth). It only had the large weave chicken wire over it.

Chicken wire is thin and easily broken. They don't bother ripping through the fence staples, they just break the wire itself.

I have a place where either a dog or a raccoon nearly got through the hardware cloth on my first coop.